Reunited
by Modern Guru
Summary: Lots of good stuff about life after Lady Knight for Kel, Neal, Yuki, Cleon, Dom and all your other favorite POTS characters. Writen by Lady Swathi and myself. PLEASE RR!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Not ours! Belongs to Tammy.

  


Cleon opened his eyes and lazily took in the surroundings of the room. It was already late in the morning and the sun shone in brightly through his windows. He stretched his arms out above his forehead, not wanting to leave the comfort of his sheets. He gave in to his fatigue for a moment, falling back onto his bed, but as he stared at the ceiling above him, his brow suddenly creased and he heaved a great sigh. He turned over, remembering that he shared his bed with someone else. She must have risen already and let him sleep, because the room was silent and the place next to him was cold. He rubbed his face with his hands, still tired, and swung his feet onto the chilly stone floor. He pulled on some clothes- a pair of worn, brown breeches, a white shirt, and a simple, forest-colored tunic- and prepared himself for the day. As he looked around the room for anything he might've missed, he pushed away the thought of his bed partner's absence. He also tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling he got when he remembered that he did share his bed with a woman, as he had slept in their adjoining living room for days after the wedding. He yawned, sleepily, then took one last glance around the room and vacated it. As he walked through the halls, he noticed how empty they seemed, as if he was the only person around for miles. 

He slowed down as he reached his destination, and then knocked three times on the heavy wooden door. "Just a minute!" a voice called from the other side. Cleon tapped his foot a little impatiently, and then finally the door swung open. Kel appeared in the doorway; the two knights looked equally surprised at seeing one another. Before he could think better of it, Cleon asked incredulously, "What are you doing here?" She seemed taken aback by the abruptness of his question, but his expression showed immediate remorse as soon as the words left his mouth. "Sorry," he said, looking away. "I wasn't thinking." 

"It's alright," Kel said gently, "Neal's just too lazy to answer his own door." Cleon smiled cheekily, the discomfort momentarily forgotten, and replied, "The man is engaged, you know."

"Of course, and as the maid of honor, I have to help with all the wedding arrangements," she said dryly. 

"Of course," Cleon replied, shuffling his feet; weddings were an uncomfortable subject. 

"For Mithros' sake, Kel, won't you let my visitor inside?" Kel rolled her eyes as Neal spoke from his seat which he was content to remain in. Cleon stepped into the room, giving a cheerful hello to Neal and his bride-to-be. It felt strange to be reunited with his old friends, and stranger still to see how they had moved on with their lives in his absence. 

"What took you so long to get down here?" Neal asked cheerfully. Cleon looked down at his feet and, turning slightly pink as he spoke, replied, "Well, you know, there was the wedding and then all the work to be done at Kennan. We worked tirelessly to restore the lands..."

"All excuses, my dear friend, what could possibly keep you away from us? Well besides your beautiful wife." Kel wished she could stomp on Neal's foot as he spoke, the almost annoying cheerfulness never leaving his voice, but there was nothing she could do that wouldn't appear rude. Cleon laughed nervously and replied, "You'll know the feeling, dear friend, soon enough I'm sure." There was awkward silence for a moment until Yuki offered to get the group something to drink. 

"So, Neal, about the wedding..." Kel began. 

  


A/N: Hey everyone! We're BACK!! So we wrote this totally randomly while chatting online one night and here it is! I don't know about you all, but I really liked Cleon and though yeah... he and Kel had to break it off, I still missed him being in the rest of the book! So here he is for your reading enjoyment. Please review. Reviews are GREATLY appreciated. Really. Defiantly. Well... that being said. Hope you enjoyed chapter one! New chapters will be coming relatively soon- no promises, because school has started (oh joy, oh rapture) so time is limited. But we will do our best! 


	2. Chapter 2

As Yuki left the room, Neal leaned in closer to his friends, unusually serious, and whispered, "I don't know what people are thinking when they say they have 'cold feet' before they get married. I couldn't be more ready."

"Ready enough not to have a bachelor party, Nealan?" Kel asked teasingly, though she knew how in love her two best friends were. 

"And are you ready for the wedding night?" Cleon asked mischievously, feeling more lighthearted than he had all day. 

Neal coughed, blushing as he tried to hide a smile. "Well, you know, that's an, err, very personal matter." Cleon and Kel laughed at their friend's discomfiture, and Kel couldn't help but realize that she and Cleon had not laughed together in so long. Everything these days seemed to have a shadow of seriousness. 

After their laughter died down, there was a short silence, broken by Yuki's reentry with a tray holding cups and a pitcher of juice. Yuki looked around the room, realizing that the three friends would not accomplish anything without her taking charge. She turned to Neal and smiled slightly, her eyes a little more reproachful. "Remember, you promised me we'd get some wedding arrangements finished today."

Neal flushed a little, and replied, "Right. Kel, do you know how Lalasa is coming along with all the dresses?" Kel sighed. She secretly hoped that she would never have to see the finished dresses, much less herself wearing one. 

"I popped in yesterday, she said she's just about finished, but I didn't check on the status myself. But you know Lalasa, the dresses will be fit for the Queen." Yuki's eyes crinkled as she noted the tone in Kel's voice; Kel was clearly unhappy about wearing a dress, which made Yuki all the more adamant about the issue. 

"Well when I see them, I hope you'll model them for me," Yuki suggested teasingly, and then turned towards Cleon. Just as Yuki was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. 

"Come in," Neal called, and the door swung open to reveal none other than the Lioness. She raised her eyebrows as she surveyed the group of young people seated in the room. 

"I wasn't expecting such a party. I hope I'm not interrupting." Neal jumped up and hugged his former knightmaster, who clearly wasn't ready for such an exuberant welcome. "Calm down!" she scolded him, as if her were still her squire. "You need to be more careful with an old lady like me."

Neal snorted. "We were just planning my wedding, O Lioness. And hopefully you're not too old for the party that will come afterward," he said, knowing full well how Alanna hated parties of any sort. 

"Bah," she said, disregarding Neal's teasing and turned to greet Keladry. "And how are you, Keladry? It can't be easy, putting up with this one, especially when he's even more excited than he usually is." 

Kel smiled at her former role model, and agreed, "he can certainly be a handful, especially when he refuses to eat his vegetables." Neal muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "mother." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kel took a sip of her drink and watched Cleon as he ate, seated across the table from her. As she swallowed, she realized that both of them were being childish, and if she were to be honest with herself, she missed talking to Cleon, and wanted his friendship back. 

"How are things at your home?" she asked, deciding that they could not avoid serious topics forever. Cleon looked startled by the question, but nevertheless answered, "Not too badly. Managing a fief is hard work, but Ermelian and I are learning quickly." 

"So you've repaired the damage from the flooding?" she asked, concern in her eyes. Cleon's face visibly sagged, and he sighed. 

"The physical damage, yes. But so many families were torn apart. It's so hard, Kel." She nodded, feeling overwhelmed with sympathy for him. Cleon had lived through a difficult time while she had been managing New Hope. Cleon cleared his throat, and Kel looked at him. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Instead he smiled, and said, "It seems you've had a busy year. Overseeing an entire camp of refugees and still managing to rid Maggur of his killing devices."

Kel couldn't help but feel that they were so close to breaking through the ice, but had just missed their chance. But, she put on a smile and answered, "It has been busy, and I barely saw you, Owen, Dom, Raoul... I missed you all."

Cleon met her eyes with his. "I missed you too, Kel." He reached across the table, and clasped Kel's shoulder. Although neither said anything, Kel knew that they had broken down a barrier. They continued to talk lightheartedly through dinner, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

  


A/N: Woo! So Lady Swathi and I are writing this fic every other sentence online and it's really fun! Cause we have NO idea what's going to happen next! Wahoo!! So, let us know what you think of the result! *hint hint* REVIEW!!!! Thanks, y'all.

  


Lady_knight1b@hotmail.com

swatthia@hotmail.com


	3. Chapter 3

Kel whistled as she walked briskly through the chilly autumn air. Without a companion, she was free to think about the day's events. She realized that Blayce was dead, she didn't feel anxious just having free time to spend with her friends. New Hope was doing fabulously well, but Kel couldn't help wondering what life had in store for her after the war was over. As she approached the practice courts, she scanned them for anyone she knew. In one corner, she saw Dom deep in conversation with Lerant. She pretended not to notice, but seeing Dom sent a wave of excitement through her stomach. 

Kel flinched as Dom's companion shouted out, "Kel! Over here!" Kel made her way over to the pair, as Dom turned to face her and smiled. 

"Kel!" he said happily. "How have you been? Coping at New Hope without me?" She smiled widely; she realized how much she'd missed Dom. 

"Oh I'm coping just fine. Though I really ought to have a leash made for Sir Meathead." 

"Really now, what would Neal think if he heard you say that? Wouldn't be very jolly, would he? Well, with the wedding coming up, I don't think he'd even notice."

"Are you joking?" Kel scoffed. "Neal's ears can prick up from a mile away when he hears his name." 

"Oh, right. I'd forgotten that," Dom replied. As if on cue, Neal walked into the practice courts. Lerant, who had been silent until now began to ask Kel a question when Neal came up behind Kel and dramatically placed his hands on both of her shoulders and exclaimed, "Kel, how dare you, my very maid of honor, converse with such scum as this Domitan who stands before you!" He made a face at Dom, who raised his eyebrows in amusement. 

Lerant rolled his eyes. "I've been here a day, and already this cousinly bantering is getting old." Kel removed Neal's hands from her shoulders. 

"Lerant's right. If you two boys can't behave, you'll have to go sit in separate corners. What are _you_ doing in the practice courts, anyway, Neal? Shouldn't you be in your rooms reading a book?"

"Yes, Mother," Neal and Dom chorused. Now it was Kel's turn to roll her eyes. "You boys really need some new material."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cleon closed the door behind the messenger and looked down at the letter in his hands. He recognized the handwriting to be his wife's. He frowned and opened the letter. It was short, written in dark ink that read: 

"_Cleon, I'm so sorry to have left you the other day without notice. I've been called home in quite a rush. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Stay at the palace and I will come back when I can, ~Ermelian._" 

He folded the letter up and put it in his pocket. He had been married to his wife for almost a year, and had only seen her for half that time. He couldn't deny the fact that he liked her; she was very pretty and kind and intelligent. But he had stopped wondering what it would be like to be married to someone he was in love with. 

He departed from his room, with the intention of wandering aimlessly around the city surrounding the palace. Between staying at Kennan and fighting in the war, it had been a long time since he had stayed in Corus. His intentions were ruined however, when he heard shrieks from down the stone hallway. Instincts kicking in, he ran toward the noise. As he turned the corner, he abruptly stopped. There was a palace maid standing in an open doorway, her face white with horror. 

A scruffy looking man, with a few loaves of bread under his arm, was holding a knife out at the maid and slowly inching away. When he saw Cleon his eyes widened slightly. Cleon could see by his tattered clothes that he was obviously a poor man who'd broken into the palace searching for anything he could get his hands on. "Please, sir, put the knife away." While the robber stood shaking and wide-eyed, still clutching the knife, Cleon reached into his pockets for a few gold coins. 

After the man made a hasty retreat, with the coins in hand, Kel stepped into the room. "That was a truly noble thing," she said, smiling gently. She didn't notice a shadow in the corner. 

"Noble? It doesnt' take a nobleman to see that all he wants is money. This way no one gets hurt." Cleon shrugged and began to walk back to his rooms, forgetting his original plans.

  


A/N: So, another chapter. Hope you're enjoying our little fic that we're writing back and forth. If you've never written a story that way, I highly recommend it. It's fun! So PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! ok? PLEASE? :-) thanks! 

Thanks to all our reviewers: Cracked in the head, Squirrel Maiden of Green, PsychoLioness13, Kelly Masbolle, Meg of Queenscove, Lady Bee, and Su (when ARE you going to update, girl!)!!! We super-duperly appreciate reviews. And don't worry, guys... Cleon is MARRIED! :-)

  


Email us!

Lady_knight1b@hotmail.com

swatthia@hotmail.com


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